You may have noticed that the fountain has not been running since Friday May 26th. This is because a large amount of dye and soap were dumped into the water sometime Thursday evening.

This is the third time since the beginning of the year that the fountain water has been adulterated, each time necessitating a complete replacement of the water by the city. Because the fountain currently drains into the storm drain system rather than the sanitary sewer, the city must drain the fountain water using a truck, adding to the time and expense of correcting the problem. Once the fountain water has been refilled, which also takes more time, it also takes significant effort by Friends of the Fountain and Walk volunteers to get the water chemistry back in balance.

If you have any information regarding these incidents or have observed any questionable activity around the fountain we would appreciate hearing from you. These acts of vandalism, while seen by some as harmless fun, can do serious damage to the fountain structure and pump system, as well as ruin the enjoyment of the fountain for all of us. You can contact us by email at fountainandwalk@gmail.com, or call FOFW board members Michael Gray (510-982-9738) or Scott Dunlap (415-509-2032).

You can learn more about FOFW and how you can help us care for our neighborhood treasure by clicking on any of the links on our home page, friendsofthefountainandwalk.org.

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2 Comments

I grew upon Mariposa, moving therein the early 1980’s, before the fountain was rebuilt. Is there any way that a camera can be attached to one of the trees just at Marin, to take a looping series of videos or photos on a 24 hour cycle, in order to determine who might be vandalizing it? Or plant lots of prickly cactus around the perimeter? Or use some sort of motion detecting water spray (anti-animal), so that the perpetrators get soaked?

Hi, Nicole. Thanks for the suggestions. We are considering various things, but mainly we rely on the goodwill of neighbors. We will let the community know if we (and the city) decide to to anything more concrete to try to prevent these things from happening.